American Widgeon in golden fall colors

[Jon Pugmire]

Canon 50D, 70-200 + 2x Manfrotto tripod and head. Crystal Springs Rhodoendron Gardens, Portland, OR
1/125, f/7.1, ISO 400, 380mm. Adjustments in LR for highlights/shadows. Added canvas to the right, basic sharpening of bird in PS and noise reduction/surface blur on background.

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[Diane Miller]

A lovely image! The color on the water is just stunning, as is its smooth texture. But it's so pretty that it competes with the duck a little. Cropping down from the top, maybe halfway to the duck would make it more prominent. Darkening the duck a little might help, too, but you do want to keep it separated from the water.

[Ian Cassell]

I agree with Diane. The colors are gorgeous here and I think cropping a significant amount off the top (about half of the free space over the duck's head) will strengthen the effect of the entire image.

[Jon Pugmire]

This is about 90% of the original frame, I did look at a tighter crop (maintaining aspect ratio), but left it this way based on some differing opinions on a similar image here:

http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php/124493-Wigeon-in-spun-gold

I'll try a pano crop to see what I think (I can see that removing some from the top might help and maybe just a bit from the bottom too, but the leaf stays!) I also noticed 2 white specks on the LS that need to go.

[Daniel Cadieux]

That liquid gold is fantastic....and for the same reason as in the image you link to I am quite fine with the amount of water shown here. The wigeon looks great too with good details. You did very well here.

[Jim Keener]

I don't remember seeing autumn so well portrayed by water. Brilliant capture. Exposure and focus and composition. When the giants differ on composition, I learn that there are good reasons to do different things. Congratulations on a stunning image.

[WillieHall]

so amazing what water can do and you captured this nicely, but I also would like to see a little more cropped. It might emphasize the beautiful in focus ripples in the front of the duck.

[Jon Pugmire]

I recropped a few days ago but didn't post, here's the result, more of a panoramic crop.

[Diane Miller]

I think this crop makes the duck a little more prominent. That liquid gold water is hard to compete with!

[WillieHall]

beautiful!